Registration available at the Bryan High School Blue Campus

Blinn College is offering a variety of low-cost technical education courses this month preparing students for careers in the healthcare, welding, professional truck driving and electrician fields.

Blinn Workforce Education courses are designed to help students master a workforce skill, including preparation for industry certification where appropriate. Programs vary in length and are offered in a non-traditional format with daytime, evening and weekend options.

For more information or to register for these classes, call 979-209-7205. All Workforce Education enrollment takes place at Bryan High School’s Blue Campus, located at 3401 E. 29th St. in Bryan.

Blinn will offer a new section of its Professional Truck Driver I course beginning Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Students learn to perform pre-trip, on-the-road and post-trip vehicle and equipment inspections. Other skills include map reading, managing log books and cargo documentation, dispatch procedures, emergency responsibilities and regulations of transportation agencies. Students also learn road safety guidelines and specific laws applicable to professional drivers. At the conclusion of the program, instructors accompany students to the commercial driver’s license (CDL) testing facility in Hearne, where they may be eligible to leave with their CDL and a certificate of completion from Blinn.

Entry-level truck drivers can expect a starting wage of approximately $20 per hour, or an annual salary ranging between $40,000 and $60,000. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the demand for professional truck drivers will increase 5 percent between 2014 and 2024.

Truck driving courses run concurrently and are held 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Monday – Friday, at Blinn’s Highway 60 Training Center, located at 5503 Raymond Stotzer Parkway in College Station. The cost for each course is $2,100. For more information, call 254-829-1694.

Fundamentals of Shielded Metal Arc Welding (Stick) Course 1 begins Tuesday, Sept. 27, and meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-9:30 p.m. This 60-hour, $500 course teaches students safety and skills to weld in the flat and horizontal positions with a variety of electrodes, and runs through Tuesday, Nov. 15.

According to the American Welding Society, the field faces a shortage of more than 200,000 welders by the year 2020, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the annual mean wage for welders in the natural gas and electric power industries is approximately $70,000.

PHARMACY TECHNICIAN PROGRAM

Job seekers interested in the Pharmacy Technician Program can choose from face-to-face or online courses in September.

The Pharmacy Technician Program trains students in pharmacology, pharmacy law and regulations, sterile and non-sterile compounding, medication safety, quality assurance, medication order entry and fill processes, inventory management, billing and information systems. Students who complete the course will be prepared to take the national Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam.

Pharmacy technicians work under the direction of a licensed pharmacist and perform technical and clerical duties in the pharmacy. Pharmacy technicians measure, mix, count, label and record medication dosages according to prescription orders.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of pharmacy technicians is expected to grow 27 percent in Texas between 2012 and 2022. Pharmacy technicians average a median wage of $14.90 per hour, or $31,000 per year, statewide.

Blinn’s Pharmacy Technician Program includes three courses – PHRA 1001, PHRA 1013 and PHRA 1043. Students must complete all three courses to earn certification.

All three courses are available online and face-to-face on the following dates:

COURSE

DATES

DAYS

TIME

COST

PHRA 1001

9/13 – 10/18

Mon./Tues./Wed.

8 a.m. – noon

$500

PHRA 1013

10/19 – 11/29

Mon./Tues./Wed.

8 a.m. – noon

$500

PHRA 1043

11/30 – 12/15

Mon./Tues./Wed.

8 a.m. – noon

$300

PHRA 1001

9/13 – 10/18

Tues./Wed./Thurs.

5:30-9:30 p.m.

$500

PHRA 1013

10/19 – 11/29

Tues./Wed./Thurs.

5:30-9:30 p.m.

$500

PHRA 1043

11/30 – 12/15

Tues./Wed./Thurs.

5:30-9:30 p.m.

$300

PHRA 1001

9/26 – 10/21

Online

Online

$550

PHRA 1013

10/24 – 11/18

Online

Online

$550

PHRA 1043

11/21 – 12/16

Online

Online

$350

Prior to enrolling in a pharmacy technician class, students must attend an information session.

PHLEBOTOMY TECHNICIAN

Phlebotomists draw blood for tests, transfusions, donation or research, and may explain the procedure to patients and assist in the recovery of patients with adverse reactions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, phlebotomists earn an average median wage of $14.29 per hour, and job openings are expected to grow 27 percent between 2012 and 2022.

The program consists of two courses, including 90 hours in the classroom and 100 hours in a clinical setting. The classroom portion focuses on theoretical mastery of phlebotomy rules, regulations and practices, and students must pass a skills test before Blinn arranges the clinical portion of their education.

Upon successful completion of the program, Blinn provides a certificate of completion. Students are encouraged to further their credentials by applying for national certification through a recognized organization.

This lecture course will be followed by a $300 clinical course prior to certification. Prior to enrolling in a phlebotomy class, students must attend an information session.

CERTIFIED NURSE AIDE

Blinn will offer two new section of its Certified Nurse Aide Program in September.

Students can choose from a section beginning Monday, Sept. 12, that meets from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and a second section beginning Monday, Sept. 19, that meets from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

CNA jobs are expected to grow 21 percent nationally and 26 percent throughout Texas between 2012 and 2022, with 3,680 projected job openings each year. The average median wage for a CNA in Texas is $10.75 per hour.

CERTIFIED MEDICATION AIDE REFRESHER

Blinn’s certified medication aide refresher course is $75 and will take place from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10.

The course includes specific training and review in the preparation and administration of medications, documentation, licensing standards, the safeguarding of medications, common drug reactions and side effects and updated and new medications available on the market. Students who successfully complete the course will receive an updated certified medication aide permit from the state.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, certified medication aide jobs are expected to increase by 257,800 positions (17 percent) between 2014 and 2024. Certified medication aides earn a median wage of $12.36 per hour.

The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services requires certified medication aides to complete at least seven hours of in-service education annually. Students who successfully complete the course receive an updated medication aide permit from the state.

ELECTRICIAN TECHNICIAN

Blinn’s Electrician Technician Program will offer ELPT 1019 beginning Thursday, Sept. 15. The 240-hour, $1,053 course meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-9 p.m. Upon completion of ELPT 1019, students can complete the program by enrolling in ELPT 1020.

Electricians are employed in a wide variety of industries, including construction, commercial or residential, and some are self-employed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has listed the job growth rate for electricians as above average, and the average national salary of a technician is $23.20 hourly and $48,250 annually.